


Those First Few Take You By Surprise

by perspi



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Future Fic, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-05
Updated: 2018-12-05
Packaged: 2019-09-12 03:24:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 483
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16865230
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/perspi/pseuds/perspi
Summary: If somebody had told him, all those years ago, that he’d live long enough to go gray in the beard, he would have laughed in their face.





	Those First Few Take You By Surprise

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted on Tumblr Feb 2014.

It’s an ordinary Thursday morning; Derek glances in the mirror, wondering if he needs to shave today, yep, there’s his face, same old, same–

He stops, flips on the sink lights, leans closer to the face that’s looking back at him with wide eyes. He sticks his chin out, tilts his head, and there: a smattering of white hairs, growing wild around the curve of his chin. Six of them.

It takes a long moment, but he brings shaky fingers up to scratch through the forest of stubble. He finds himself fascinated by the way the white hairs bend under his fingernails, how they feel just like their darker neighbors.

Derek doesn’t straighten up from the sink so much as slide sideways until he’s perched on the closed toilet lid. His knees won’t quite hold him; he can’t stop rubbing at his chin and he can feel a hysterical bubble of  _something_ down in his chest. Maybe it’s a laugh, maybe a sob, but he doesn’t feel ready to find out quite yet.

If somebody had told him, all those years ago, that he’d live long enough to go gray in the beard, he would have laughed in their face.

Stiles barrels into the bathroom, tugging himself into a shirt and reaching for his toothbrush, all at the same time. “Der, we gotta get going if we wanna be on– Hey, Derek?” He comes to an abrupt stop, kneeling between Derek’s feet, one hand big and warm over Derek’s knee. “You okay?”

The bubble  _pops_ ; turns out it was a giggle, loosed right into Stiles’ face. “Look,” he says, jutting his chin forward.

Stiles does as he’s asked, forehead creasing as he frowns at Derek’s face. “Yes, okay, that’s your face. It’s a nice face, I have told you how much I like your face for  _ages,_  are you fishing for compliments or wondering if you need to shave, which, you know it’s Thursday you could probably get away with–”

“Gray hair, Stiles.” Derek can’t wait for him to see it on his own. “I’ve got six gray hairs, in my beard. Right here.” It’s easy for him to point; the skin on his chin feels roughened from all the scratching.

“Yeah, yep, those are gray, all right,” Stiles says warmly, leaning in close to get a good look. Derek isn’t surprised when he lays a kiss over them; he's  _warmed_ , enough to curl his toes against the tile. He winds his fingers into the hair at the back of Stiles’ head.

“Think you can handle it, being with an old man?” he teases, amazed anew.

“Probably not,” Stiles admits, just as teasing, pulling them both to a stand so he can fit them together and nuzzle again at Derek’s chin. “You’re gonna get all  _distinguished,_  be a silver fox–” _  
_

“Wolf,” Derek rumbles before kissing him thoroughly.

They end up late to work.


End file.
